


Delayed but Perfect Timing

by wonderlandiscrumbling



Series: A Friend in Need [2]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Jealousy, Love Confessions, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 15:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16390706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderlandiscrumbling/pseuds/wonderlandiscrumbling
Summary: He has a fear that inevitably she'll no longer want to be his friend, that she'll thank him for his support and his company then pretend they never knew each other to begin with. He worries that fear will become truth when Gordon comes to talk to her.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been such a normal night for them. A bottle of expensive red wine shared between them, her teasing comments that the cheap shit from the liquor store near her apartment tasted almost the same as the thousand dollar bottle he brought to her in offering. They drank and watched terrible horror movies that she owns far too many of. The stereo plays too loudly in the background, David Bowie’s voice filling the small apartment. 

Oswald sits on the couch, occasionally he glances at the TV in time to see yet another actor his own age who is playing a high school student being murdered by a chainsaw wielding psychopath, but his attention is quickly back on Lee. Watching her dancing to the music playing, hips swaying and long legs moving with ease. He feels a sense of shame watching her when she’s dancing, his gaze panning over her body, her face and her black hair that now falls down over her shoulders and to the middle of her back. Her eyes are done up with solid black eye makeup, lips painted a dark violet shade, all of it brings more attention to dark eyes full of life and mischief. She looks at him and smiles, laughs before filling another glass of wine for herself and sitting back down on the couch with him. 

“You know I actually dressed like Bowie for Halloween once in high school.” He confesses before taking another drink from his own glass finishing it off.

He reaches for the bottle and pours himself another, she laughs beside him. 

“Really, which era?”

“Ziggy of course.” He responds faux offense at her question filling his tone.

She reaches out combing her fingers through his hair messing it up, he doesn’t mind.

“Dyed hair and everything?” She asks and he knows she’s trying to picture him as a red head.

He smiles as he looks at her, “Yes, I looked absolutely terrible. I looked like a cheap drag queen trying to look like the Wendy’s girl.” 

He remembers thinking he would look awesome, maybe even like a rock star, but with his complexion it just hadn’t been exactly what he’d wanted.

She brushes her fingers along his cheek, “I’m sure you looked cute, but I do prefer your black hair.” She comments.

Her touch is soft and loving, he longs to just lean into it.

“Cute isn’t really a word people associate with me.” 

“I think you are, you’re a very handsome man Oswald.”

The words are familiar and he remembers his mom for a second. He takes a long pull from his drink to repress memories and feelings of grief and loss. She’d died a year ago, same with his father. That was then, this was his now. Over a year later sitting on a cheap sofa in a decent apartment with a beautiful woman who hasn’t the slightest clue he’s madly in love with her.

He opens his mouth to start to tell her but the words don’t come. “I’m nowhere near as beautiful as you.” He says instead, not a profession of love, but its’s something honest that he does feel.

She blushes and glances away from him, she doesn’t seem offended by his compliment, but at least a bit surprised that he would say such a thing. She looks at him again, there’s something in her eyes and her expression that says she wants to say something too but knocking at the door pulls her from the moment.

She sighs and gets up from the couch, she goes to the door and he waits for her. He can just hear her at the door, hear her talking to somebody. Out of curiosity he gets up and makes his way to where she is. He freezes when he sees there with her hand on her hip, Jim standing in front of her looking awkward but determined to talk to her, to work things out. His eyes go from her to Oswald when he notices the other man in the room, he tenses, and now looks rather confused. Normally Oswald wouldn’t care about seeing Jim, normally he wants to see him, but not now. He feels suddenly awkward and ashamed.

“Jim, I should…..I should really get going.” He says, voice cracking.

Lee looks at him, “You don’t have to leave.”

“No it’s fine, I-I have some business to attend to anyway….I’ll see you later.” He says forcing a smile as he walks past Jim and heads out into the hallway.

He feels moronic as he leaves her apartment. In his mind he can’t help but picture their conversation; he knows she’s in love with Jim and that’s fine. He knows she’ll yell, that Jim will explain himself and apologize to her for his asinine behavior. He knows that once the yelling and the anger ebbs away that she’ll talk to him, that they’ll drink and talk about their relationship and see if there’s anything left between them. They’d dated for nearly two years, nearly had a child together, and they still work together; there’s a lot there between them. He knows that she’ll want to work on things with Jim, that being the way she is she’ll be courteous to give him a call and tell him they can’t be friends anymore because it would make things weird.

Oswald accepts these truths, these truths he creates in his head as he’s driven back to his mansion on the outskirts of the city. There’s a pain in his chest thinking about it, realizing if he hadn’t been a coward then maybe he could have told her how he feels, that he loves her. Tell her the things he’s been thinking in the months since they became friends, but it doesn’t matter now.


	2. Chapter 2

He sits at the large glass desk in his office at the Iceberg Lounge. Paperwork is spread across the table’s surface and he feels a dull headache as he looks over the forms. He hadn’t realized this many people would apply for a permit to commit crimes, he also sees a handful of complaints written, people claiming they didn’t do anything wrong when they committed crimes without his given permission. He knows there are those who think he’s just as bad as the cops, but he isn’t. He knows how Gotham works, he knows that people in the city crave violence, they’re a greedy lot; if he does things this way then they can have their fun, but in a civilized manner.

He’s startled when somebody knocks on the door, before he can respond Zsasz opens and comes inside. Oswald glares at him, his obvious annoyance is ignored.

“Thompkins is here to see you.”

“Why didn’t you just send her in?”

“You told me to not do that anymore.”

Oswald sighs, “I told you if it’s a cop or a complete moron then don’t send them in first. If it’s her, Falcone, or Ed then let them in.”

Zsasz looks at him for a moment as if he’s trying to memorize the incredibly short list of people who are allowed to enter the office before turning and leaving. A moment later Lee comes in closing the door behind herself.

Oswald can’t help but notice how beautiful she looks, he notices that slim fitted black suits look rather wonderful on her.

“Why have you been avoiding me, it’s been three weeks.” She inquires as she approaches his desk staring down at him.

He gapes up at her taken aback by her going straight to the point. He leans back in his throne of a chair, fiddles with his thumbs as he tries to think of a lie to tell her. “I told you the other night, I had business to attend to.”

She rolls her eyes, “That took three weeks…You know I really thought since I’m supposedly your friend that you might be honest with me.”

He gets up from his desk and goes around the other side to stand in front of her, she looks down at him annoyed and hurt. He feels ridiculous that he’s ignored her, that he’s made her feel like he doesn’t want to see her anymore.

“You are my friend.”

“Then why not just tell me what’s going on, does it have to do with Jim?”

He looks away.

“Are you mad at me because he came over, I never told you that you had to leave.”

“It was obvious he wanted to talk to you alone, he didn’t seem like he expected to see me there.”

She places a hand on his shoulder and he looks back up at her again.

“Yes, he wanted to talk. If you want to know, yes, he wanted to try our relationship again. He also asked me about you and why you were at my apartment. He was there for maybe forty minutes then I made him leave.”

“I’m sorry, I know I must look like a total asshole just leaving like that. I just….” He trails off feeling anxious as he thinks of saying the words.

Her expression softens as she looks at him waiting for him to speak.

“Lee I….I have been wanting to tell you for weeks, months now that I….I-I love you. I love you so much, I never….I understand if you don’t feel the same way, but I just need to say it, because honestly it’s been driving me crazy keeping this to myself.” He feels a sense of relief saying the words, but there is the fear of cruel rejection lingering in the air.

She smiles fondly as she looks down at him, she places her hand against his cheek her thumb brushing against his skin. She steps closer to him, she leans down and her lips brush against his, his breath catches in his throat and he kisses her. He places a hand against the back of her neck, fingers brushing against her skin feeling the soft hairs at the nape of her neck as he kisses her with hesitation and disbelief that this is happening.

“I love you too.” She whispers against his lips; her breath is warm and sweet. He places his free hand against her hip and keeps her close.

Nothing matters outside of this and her.


End file.
